By Binta Jaiteh
The Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education has hosted the 3rd African continental conference that brought together experts in the fields of education and civil society organizations, held at Sir Dawda Kairaba Conference Centre on Monday.
Hon. Claudiana Cole, Minister of Basic and Secondary Education (MOBSE) said: “it must be noted that this conference was conceived in 2019 and was to be held in May 2020. Following the emergence of Covid-19, which was an international concern in 2019, and its characterization by the WHO as a pandemic in March of the same year, the conference had to be postponed.”
According to her, the covid-19 pandemic ushered in a new era affecting all sectors of society, including education and following the closure of schools around the world, governments initiated the process of searching for mitigating measures to ensure the continuation of teaching and learning across the schooling systems while at the same time, attempting to contain COVID-19.
“The onset of the pandemic also pushed much of the world towards online learning, accelerating a digital transformation of the education sector that has been underway for decades. Here in The Gambia, radio and television lessons were offered to ensure the continuance of teaching and learning. While these activities demonstrate the tremendous potential for digital transformation, the pandemic has also highlighted the gaps that remain, adding that the digital divide between context and socio-economic groups became obvious,” she added.
“However, this conference represents one of the much-needed strategies for Africa and our respective education policies and exciting week in which knowledge and lessons learned across Africa, is promised to participants, both face-to-face and virtually, exploring how to address the mismatch between the school curriculum, teacher education, and learning assessment, including the intended, the implemented, and the achieved curriculum. It is hoped that the Conference will provide a platform where participants will explore the potential of technology and innovations to enhance curriculum processes and products necessary for the acquisition of 21st Century competencies and knowledge,” she continued.
She urged the participants to discuss and find solutions to the challenges in the education sector, adding “I look forward to understanding how curriculum, teacher education, learning assessment, and other related processes are to be aligned.”
